Beacon Blog

May 8

Week 13

I love flying! My favorite is the take-off. At first I watch the men and women that load us into the belly of the plane, getting everything ready. It is sort of like watching the guys packing up the sled! Then, they close the doors and everything gets real quiet. But not for long! Soon the whole belly shakes, it moves slowly - like driving in the dog truck except I don't have that nice whole to look out to see everything that is going on outside, then we take a turn, and then: Zuuuuuuuuuuuufff its like we lift off and fly through the air. Its nothing like when I fly out of the dog boxes. It lasts much longer and well, actually it is more then sensation of flying down a steep mountain-side I think. Actually, its Hershey who said that. He runs a lot right in front of the sled, and he says sometimes the sled gets airborne when we are going over a huge chunk of ice or down a steep hill, and I guess that what flying is like! Could you imagine we had one of those windows while we were flying? How cool would that be. I could count planes in the air!

I think I would have seen a lot of planes on this trip then, because it was a long flight. Once we landed we had to sit and wait awhile, then I heard Paul's voice. That just makes the little hairs in my ears tingle I get so excited! Mille had given us all a lot of hugs before we were loaded into the belly of the plane. Sable said that Mille was not coming home with us!! It is a little confusing to me, but I guess instead she was off to visit with the great dogs we met last year on the expedition in Chukotka - oh, and probably people too I would think. Anyway, all the rest of us are all back in the United States now. Yes, we are now on the North American continent again! Paul loaded us all in to our own dog boxes and we drove to meet up with the rest of the gang. Ok, at first I was a little surprised. It was so great to see Timber, Xena and the rest of them back here again, but remember the puppies: Yoik, Sunrise, Luna, Pingo, Sisu, Chukchi, Qannik, and Kinu? They are HUGE. And they are super duper fun to play with. And Timber says he thinks he has taught me well on this blogging, so I am very proud of that.

The only one that is missing now is Chitwa-he is still with that nice family back in Minnesota. But, Ginger heard that we will soon be jumping back into the dog boxes on the dog truck to go get him and make our way back to the kennel at Expedition Basecamp! Then it will be summer! I think it is always a bit sad when an expedition comes to an end. It is of course also very thrilling with everybody smiling and laughing a lot! Jupiter says that's the same way it is in a classroom. You know, he spent many moons in a classroom when he was a youngster. I wonder if you howl too in those classrooms...

May 1

Week 12

It does not smell quite like reindeer and Nazca says its 'horses'... I just know it's a really exciting: Remember that huge great smelling truck that took us from the airplane to the nice place with all the dogs from where we started pulling the sleds on this expedition-the place with the guy that would always say "King-Kong-Dogs!" when he would see us? That truck came back to get us, at that very same place! I guess we have a plane to catch, so how lucky the truck came around right at the time we needed it to pick us up! Actually, that was the second time this week we were that lucky!

First time it was on a really super duper fun day. We started the morning way up high on a mountain top, we went down a little bit, then we got to climb one more mountain top, and then down down down down it went. Down looong steeeeeep mountain slopes, first in my favorite kind-of-country where there are no trees (my Mom, Freja, calls it 'tundra'), then the trees got bigger and bigger and by the end we were back running in the big house-kind-of-trees. We call them that, because every year around the time when we get loads of biscuits, the guys always carry that kind of tree inside one or several of the buildings back at basecamp. Then many days later they carry it back out. The tree doesn't look so great by then. I am thinking those kinds of trees are not really made for keeping inside. They do smell really good though, I agree with that for sure. And we have sure seen a lot of this kid of tree on this expedition, but it had been many moons since we last saw them when we finally did again the other day. Again, that was the day we were lucky with a truck being right there when we needed it. We came out on a lake and the guys told us to stop. Then they started opening up one of the sleds, which confused us all a little bit, because they had not come around to pet us which they normally do when it is the end of the work day... and well, really in no way did it seem like they were getting ready to set up camp. They were kind of wound up actually. I mean, I know I can get pretty wound up too...

...Oh you know what, I can't wait to see Xena again. Now, there is a girl that knows how to get wound up. And Timber! I wonder if he has been following along in my blog? I hope I have made him proud...

There was a breeze right there that afternoon. They all huddled next to the sled, Paul having one white thing in his hands and Aaron having another that he was pointing around. Tucker - Techie Tucker as we call him - tells me that was the bgan satellite communication system. I guess it works sort of like a tail. You put it up and then you can talk to others, but this works even for others that are far away and can't see you! Hershey did hear Mille tell who-ever was on the other end listening to her that we were on 'Torneträsk Lake' and that we would be done in about an hour. They packed the sleds up again and off we went, out on the lake! When we had just about made it to the other side of the lake we could see someone jumping around on the shore and that turned out to be Kalle! We met Kalle back before we started the expedition, at the place with the guy that calls us "King-Kong-Dogs" and I figured that maybe Kalle had come to help set up camp, or maybe he was going dogsledding with us too. Though when we have two sleds I have never seen us travel more than four people, and with all Wendy, Aaron, Paul and Mille here I was getting all concerned who was leaving now!? Turns out, we all were!

The guys were all really excited when we got to the shore, giving each other hugs and stuff-and us too! That's when Disko said this was where we would stop running with the sled for this year!!!!!!! We pulled the sleds up one last hill and onto a place with lots of cars and boats and trailers. I was pretty impressed actually. Paul stopped his sled right next to the truck on one side and, and Aaron stopped my team on the other side of the truck... and we jumped in the boxes!

April 24

Week 11

It's been Wendy. I mean, it's been Windy. Windy not Wendy, but I am thinking Wendy likes wind. I do to! It's getting so good when it tries to steal my tail and my ears stars flipping backwards if it wasn't because I out them really flat against my head. It's really been that windy since Wendy started traveling with us! When it is that Wendy, I mean windy, both of Kodiak's ears stand up like mine! (normally one of his ears are flopped over, I have always wanted that, makes him look really kind of cool...but my Mom, Freja says I have my Dad's ears and I should be proud of them... guess so...)

Aaron has been traveling with me on every single expedition I have been on and it seems that when he comes around we are always going to some of my favorite places on each expedition. I mean, with Mille and Paul we are always zoofing it... Really keeps me on my paws... But Jupiter, Goodie, Baffin, Lightning and I all agreed SOMETHING will happen when Aaron is there. This is only their 3rd expedition really, whereas I have been on four expeditions... Anyway, we were all right! This week we ran out of trees and went mountain climbing. I love mountains!!! We get to pull as hard as we can up the mountainsides, for a really long time, all the way to the top. Then we see the whole world of mountains I think before we go FLYING back down on the other side. I tug my ears back against my head doing that too!

Sometimes this week I could actually lean down the mountain so it almost feels like I have no legs running forward because it was that windy-So we got to pull down the mountain too!!! I ran with Rubi a lot this week. She is probably one of the best to climb mountains I have ever met. She really digs it. Actually, she can almost get a little scary about it. If the sleds starts stopping behind us and Mille is still calling out that we should keep moving it forward, and it is getting to be moving really slow, Rubi gets really upset. She might even jump right at you, full power (while she is still pulling that is!!) just making the wildest noise right in my ear. To make sure I don't stop pulling I guess!? Trigger had told me and he sure is right on that. Ok, I admit I tried to just pull so hard that it wouldn't happen, cause it really is quite scary.

I thought maybe Wendy being new to all this traveling with us, might be a bit scared when it was really windy... A couple of times it was so windy it almost looked like Paul, Mille, Aaron and Wendy might fly off the mountain when they were walking between the sleds. All us Polar Huskies are attached to the sled, so we are safe from that! Actually, now that I think about it, maybe that's why Wendy was attached to the sled sometimes too! Not pulling the sled of course!!! Well, sometimes Paul, Aaron and Mille were pulling the sled indeed, but that's only when it gets really really steep. But Wendy has actually been attached to the sled this week a lot. Especially when it was windy. Hershey says it is a different kind of skiing with the sled that the guys sometimes do when it is hard to be next to the sled for some reason, but I am really not all that sure that he is right... It just makes sense to tie her to the sled to make sure she doesn't fly away, I think, being its her first time and all!

April 17

Week 10

Wow! We have been traveling a great deal lately. I've been running and we have just been busting and having a great time! I heard Mille say to Paul that we traveled about 60K! I am not all sure what "K" is but Khan told me his name starts with it. My teammates were wondering why we had been running so hard and then we found out. My old buddy Aaron had arrived! He is such a good guy. He seems to always be in a good mood. Like me! I am trying to teach him my 'let's go growl' too, but I am not all sure he is getting it. It was really late at night. I think we had run like two days in one almost, when we came up to these cabins. Then, Aaron and someone else came walking down the hill toward us. They walked up to Paul, me and all of us! I was so excited I was just woofing away. Lightning thought I was quite silly I guess, but I mean, I was just so excited!!! We all wondered who this was with Aaron. Who is this person? Well, guess what? It is a person from California. Yes, California! That is with the beaches, redwood trees and all. Nazca says it is close to where Timber is from, and that he always talked about all these things. Timber has really seen a lot of stuff. But he has not met this person, and he sure would like her! Mille introduced her as Wendy (aka Miss Gorton), the GoNorth! Teacher Explorer for 2008! She seemed to be really happy and that was after traveling for hours and hours to join us. She must have heard how great it is to travel with us. We were wondering if she had ever seen so many huge dogs like us and if she had ever been dogsledding? If she hadn't been, then boy she had something ahead of her. Well, Hershey was right there when she set out on her skis and I guess it was all new to her but she loves it! How can she not! The weather has been really good and also, now she has been running with me. I think she likes me!

April 10

Week 9

I speak Norwegian! I know because we just spent several moons with a whole lot of really cool dogs like us - at their place i mean - and when we got there very late at night they all got up and out to welcome us. Wasn't that sweet of them? They were really loud about it too. It was so cool! I was running with Lightning and we both noticed right away how Mille talked to them in her other language and they seemed to understand that no problem. Sure enough, not long after we heard her talk to the nice people there and they talked together in that language too. Well, actually they sounded a little bit different, but still the words seemed to be almost the same. Disko said he already knew that we were in Norway because that was why we had had to run for such a long time that day. It was hard work alright, but pretty exciting I have to say. We got to run up and down a whole lot of hills including a really big one. The view was great from there. Oh! And there were no trees! That is the first time on this trip, that there are no trees. Kodiak really missed the trees right away -- he likes to go smell them a lot. Then later we got to run on the road. Really, right down the road and even through some of those places with pretty lights that we drive by and though when we are in the dogtruck. Mille was running in front of us and Paul was on the sled... I am thinking they don't like those shiny lights so much, cause they were both a little tense. The people they talked to inside that building we stopped by to take a nap, must have been really nice cause both Paul and Mille smiled a lot more when they came out of there. Maybe they had snow mobiles in there!? Like today we were diving in snow all morning to get the sled to move, and when we had just come out in front of a bunch of houses a whooooole lot of people on snow mobiles came. Rubi said Mille counted to 20 with a big grin on her face. They soon went the other way though but that was okay cause we were really busy counting reindeer and there were other snow mobiles with the reindeer too... Actually, sometimes it looked like the reindeer were pulling the snow mobiles cause they were that close to each other and when the snow mobile would move one way so would the reindeer. Much like us with the sled! Even looked like they had something like the dogtruck too! First they ran really fast to this area with a lot of orange fences - that's where we went the other way. But as we were pulling up the hill, Jupiter and I saw this big truck pull up and the reindeer were going inside it - just like we go into our dog boxes. I hope they have a good ride...

April 3

Week 8

I speak Finnish! We have been staying for many moons at this wonderful place in the woods with a kennel of Finnish dogs. Well, really you would not know. Sable says she heard they have Greenlandic family too, just like us! It was not all that easy to get there -- seemed like it took a whole day of hills. I think the guys were pretty tired when we got there, at least I heard they went to a place to wash reindeer. That always works good on being tired, and why else would they go look at them without us? Wonder if there was a lot of reindeer candy? If so, too bad they don't seem to like it. I was also a little confused because there sure was a lot of reindeer around the place we were staying. When we got there late at night there was a whole herd just being fed -something like what's in our dog houses at home- they sure seemed to like it. It was two men on snow machines that came and gave it to them. We saw it all! We were standing on top of a hill watching it so that we could run down when they were done. We ran so fast, but not as fast as today though. Saw more reindeer when we left from there. They jumped out on the trail right in front of me! Oh, and Disko, Nazca, and Kodiak I guess. But I could almost feel them with my whiskers! Speaking of my whiskers, they sure got wet today. Remember I told you last week I love water. Well, we have lots of water here on this expedition. It has been raining for several days. That's probably my least favorite kind of water And today we almost went swimming. The water was so deep that it sounded like we were pulling a boat instead of a sled and I heard Paul and Mille talk about 'water skiing' - I have to tell you though, they go through the water just like the rest of us. I love those guys, but they just can't ski on top of the water no matter what they say...

March 27

Week 7

I love water! There sure is a lot of water around here too. When I was a puppy I lived with these my favorite-women (but-Mille-of course) for a long time while as my Mom, Freja, and all the rest left on an expedition. They taught me two things I used this week: about kayaking and stairways. Not that we went kayaking here in Finland, but we did go on this enormous bridge up and over a bunch of water. When I looked out the railing I could see all the moving ice and water below us. Paul loved it too I think, he sounded really excited. Mille didn't, I guess she doesn't like heights. Neither does Baffin I hear. He didn't say so himself, so it might just be a rumor. He sure seemed ok with it on this other kind of bridge we were on this week. It was sort of like the kind of stairs where you can see through gaps in the steps - except here you had to step all the way over the gap, and there was no water below this bridge! I could tell on the way Paul and Mille was talking that it was not a good time to be all too wild, but really that was ok with me cause it is really hard to be wild and try to stomach your way across these boards all as once. As soon as we were back down on the snow we got wild though! Paul was still up on the sled on top of that bridge but looking over my shoulder I think we had him airborne coming off the bridge. He likes it fast just like me!

I was quite cute as a little pup, if I have to say so myself. We picked up a nice woman who was standing on the road the other day. Hershey was at the back of the sled closest to the road and he told us her name is Aksana. I guess she is from here and she wanted to go for a run with us.. She must have heard how much fun it is! I later heard Aksana say to Mille that she imagined I looked like a little polar bear when I was a puppy. Not that the polar bears I have seen looks so terribly cute. I mean the one I saw - it was standing right in front of Timber's head while Timber was barking at it, and as far as I could gather it was fairly ornery and mighty big looking. I wouldn't want to be at the end of its paw if it started swinging. From what Timber was telling us before we left the kennel at home, we are not suppose to see Polar Bears on this year's expedition. He should know. Timber is the Polar Husky polar bear expert. But we sure are seeing lots of reindeer. They are pretty tricky though. They are really good at playing hide and seek in the trees. I try to keep an eye on Disko all the time. He is incredible at seeing them, and as soon as I see his ears perk I pull as hard as I can along with Kodiak who is my new running partner; we start loping and off we go flying down the trail. That is my favorite part of the day. The other day, the day kept going past the sun went down and it had been dark for a long while it seemed. Freja was in front of the team behind us, and when I would look back I could see her anyway though - because Paul put this necklace on her that was blinking with red lights. Sure was pretty. Disko had one on too in the lead of our team. Now, if the reindeer wore some of those that would help lot for seeing them in the trees. I don't ever remember another trip I have been on with so many trees. I asked Lightning if she would help me try to count cause I thought it would be fun to tell you more about how many trees there are here, and she is really good at counting, but she didn't even wag her tail at that. Maybe I can get Tucker to help me. He is always up for anything.

March 20

Week 6

I just heard Mille say a very high pitched sound in the tent. Lightning is down by the tent. She says they found candy in the water! Lucky them!

Oh, I can hear Paul now. They are throwing out the water!!! Oh no, what a pitty!!! I love reindeer candy!!!

Timber use to always rave about caribou candy and I guess I didn't really get why... But I sure do love this reindeer candy. I think it might be just a bit sweeter. And each piece seems to be just a bit smaller. Melts on your tongue.

I was running with Lipton today, and we both really got into looking for it. There was so much of it. At some point we were coming up to these great big piles, but then Disko, Kodiak and Nazca who were running up front they all started loping and pulling like crazy -- there they were!

A whole great big herd of reindeer just standing there on the lake waiting for us! Ok, well, maybe they were not exactly waiting for us. There were also two guys on snowmobiles parked on each side of them and Paul was yelling for us to stop. That was a little surprising! Normally when we see the reindeer cousins, the caribou, both Paul and Mille start yipping and hopping us to go faster to try and see if we can catch them.

Of course we really can't but I don't ever think they really realize that. Paul and Mille that is. Cause they sure like to see if we can again and again - and every time they seem to think it will be the one time we actually do.. We never do of course.

Anyway, its still pretty fun though. But this time, even though these reindeer were standing completely still, Paul was telling us NO! Then he grabbed Disko and took us in a circle around. You know, they never moved - I am not sure we couldn't actually have caught up to these ones!!!

March 12

Week 5

He took the sled and everything. I mean the thing we are hooked to, our food, and the hook that goes into the snow to stop us -- Everything!!! First Mille got her sled really close to our sled. Nazca was right next to Hershey and Lightning and Tucker who was behind Nazca on Mille's team, well he was now right there standing next to Baffin and Lipton on our team. Confused? We were!

Pretty exciting too though. It was hard not to get all wound up, but I could tell on the way Mille was running around we better just stay focused. Paul was by our sled pulling out all these maps talking with the man with the big machine. To me thee maps all just look like big pieces of paper, but I know it is maps cause my mother told me. Freja that is. She says that's how they can tell where we are going. She says they read them and that she doesn't know how, but I actually think she can read maps too. Sometimes Paul might bring the map up to her, and everyone always laughs.. That is very silly of them. My mom gets this look on her face and I am so sure she is reading it. But she was not looking at the map with Paul and the man - Rubi was next to the sled and she says his name was Per. Paul and Mille got together bending over the tugline. That is the line we are all attached to that attaches to the sled.

That's when it happened. That Per got on his big machine and drove it up right behind where Lipton and Baffin had been sitting and he took the sled!!! No, really I am not kidding you. They hooked up Paul's sled to his machine and off he went. Ok, we did find it later. We ran as fast as we could and just before it got dark we found it on a lake. How lucky is that. I mean at least half of our dog food is on that sled! The running went really fast too. Especially cause it had gone really really slow all morning.

First we all got a little nervous that maybe machines were going to take over our jobs -- well, that would only last until it would breakdown, they always do. They smell too. And Mille says they drink a lot. So do I I guess if I get hot, and they are are really hot, you can tell when they get close. And they are loud!

I have to think we were almost as loud when that sled was taking off and then Paul and Mille were both standing in the back and when they told us to go was when we realized we were all together. Really! I mean on one sled, all sixteen of us. Paul has seen everything, nothing can ever surprise him, but he too said had never seen anything like it. Going around the corners I couldn't see Disko in lead -- and I couldn't see the sled! But then I could hear it if the big thumb came up. There is this big thumb when one of the sleds falls on the side. That means we should stop. A sled doesn't ride that well on its side. It kind of drags then, even when the snow is really deep. And it sure is deep. I don't think I have seen it that deep before either. I can completely disappear when I jump into it head first!

March 6

Week 4

You know that creaky sound of snow underneath your paws when it gets really cold? That is one my favorite sounds. Makes me want to just keep moving my paws so I can hear it again and again. I think Paul might feel the same way about it! This morning he kept walking up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and.., well, you get the picture...this long hill that we sort of sit in the middle of. I mean, when we came here the first day, we were up top and then they took us down here to this wonderful deep snow. Over my head it was and all nice fluffy powder too. Great for splashing around and diving in to. For a bit there I was wondering if Mille is as crazy about doing that as me, cause it is so deep it was almost over her head too and she was sure crawling around in it a lot at first when we came down here. But then, I am thinking maybe not. Actually, Sable told me. She said Mille was sort of saying something about too much snow. How can there ever be too much snow!!! That is just silly. She was probably just tired after the long drive up here. It is a bit funny. Paul and Mille are obviously taller than the rest of us since we don't walk on two legs (imagine how silly that would look), but when the snow is this deep they can't jump around in it like we can! Instead they sink all the way in - like Mille she had snow everywhere and at one point it came up so high on her that I couldn't see her from under her arms and down-cool! I am wondering if these huskies that live here they ever get lost in the snow? They are a quite a bit smaller than us. Well, at least most of them. I was so excited at first when we got here cause it just seemed like the world's greatest slumber party we had come to, that I didn't really notice that much. Sorry. It is just so exciting I get all wound up - but I realize now with this job of reporting back to you I have to maybe pay attention all the time. That's hard! Anyway, that's when it is a good think there are really 16 of us Polar Huskies. So, Nazca says there are more than 100 of the other kind of huskies here. She is good with numbers and details and directions and all. Plus, really, I mean some of them are about her size so maybe it is easier for her to see them. Ok, maybe not. They sure are fast. I am pretty fast if I have to say so myself but I have to admit that maybe like Lightning is faster. She is pretty too. And smart. Nasza is the fastest though, well, she was anyway. I will have to watch for that this year and get back to you on that. Anyway, I am pretty sure these huskies are faster really than any of us. They come right by us like at least six times a day; 3,4,5, 8 even 9 teams at a time with some 10,12,14 of them on each team. Wow! It is impressive - and they always have lots of people with them on the sled. I guess they haul people like we haul gear kind of! Three times up three times down, at least. Lipton sits at the end, so he has been counting. I am telling you though, today Paul has been up and down a lot more times than that. Disko says its because that is the way we have to go to leave from here. He would know! He is very good with directions and is probably going to be in lead when we head out. I hope I get to be right behind him. Or behind who is behind him. Or behind that one. I don't really care just as long as I get to be in the team! We are really going!!